State Budgets (Cong. Rec., May 18, 2021)
Summary
This is S2555 of the Congressional Record, Senate, May 18, 2021, with interleaved columns of Mr. McConnell's remarks. Under the heading State Budgets, Mr. McConnell says the spending Democrats insisted upon in March delayed the reopening and that 29 of the 50 States were closing a 12-month budget gap, and he opposes more money for State and local governments. Under the heading Endless Frontier Act, he says the Senate took a step toward considering wide-ranging legislation on innovation and competitiveness and calls for a robust bipartisan floor process, including amendment votes, with the views and figures attributed to Mr. McConnell.
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“State Budgets (Cong. Rec., May 18, 2021).”
Original at www.govinfo.gov. Archived at Pandemic Darlings, https://pandemicdarlings.com/source-documents/crec-crec-2021-05-18-crec-2021-05-18-pt1-pgs2555-61548ae587/
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May 18, 2021 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S2555
STATE BUDGETS ENDLESS FRONTIER ACT tion since 1977. It said that the em-
Mr. MCCONNELL. Mr. President, re- Mr. MCCONNELL. Now, Mr. Presi- ployer in question deserves a written
cent headlines have reinforced a warn- dent, on an entirely different matter, summary of the facts behind a com-
ing that Republicans and economic ex- yesterday, the Senate took a step to- plaint, a written explanation of the
perts have been articulating literally ward considering wide-ranging legisla- legal justification, a few other details,
for months: The massive spending the tion that would touch on multiple and 14 days to respond. Sounds pretty
Democrats insisted upon at the outset parts of the U.S. economy in the name reasonable. This helps ensure the Com-
of the Biden administration was not in of increasing innovation and competi- mission is making a good-faith effort
step with actual needs. tiveness. to see if the dispute can be settled out-
Yesterday, I talked about some of the A secure, productive, and innovative side of court before beginning a costly,
ways the multitrillion-dollar spending America that can outcompete China is adversarial process.
spree rammed through in March has something that all 100 Senators want. Apparently, even these modest steps
actually delayed our reopening and our Of course, in a place like the Senate, were too much for my friends on the
recovery: about the disappointing fall- you are guaranteed to find a wide vari- Democratic side. They want to roll
off in hiring, despite a historic number ety of different ideas about the best back this progress. A number of groups
of open jobs, after the Democrats re- ways to encourage that. A number of have asked them not to do this, from
newed a Federal program that pays our colleagues have assembled a pro- small business owners, to builders and
people extra not to work. Well, here is posal that touches on a long list of sub- contractors, to restaurant owners, to
another misplaced priority from that jects—everything from funding univer- retailers, and beyond. These are the
spending spree: our Democratic friends’ sities, to regional economic develop- same employers who are already strug-
insistence on stuffing another wheel- ment, to Indo-Pacific geopolitics, to gling to climb back out of this pan-
barrow of cash into the accounts of artificial intelligence, to cyber secu- demic and rehire workers. They don’t
State and local governments that were rity, and beyond. Legislation this need any more Washington headwinds
already rebounding from the crisis. broad needs a thorough, robust, and bi- in their faces, and taxpayers don’t need
Back in February, as the Democrats partisan floor process, including a more of their dollars being funneled
insisted States were in dire need of an- healthy series of amendment votes. back toward trial lawyers. So I would
other huge bailout, 29 of the 50 States As one of my Republican colleagues— urge Senators to vote against this reso-
were actually closing a 12-month chap- the ranking member on the Commerce lution so the current, improved rule
ter in which their revenues met or ex- Committee—explained, as he supported can actually be left in place.
ceeded the year before. Twenty-nine of moving the legislation out of com- I suggest the absence of a quorum.
the fifty States were actually closing a mittee, the current draft is ‘‘not ready The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem-
12-month chapter in which their reve- for prime time’’ yet and deserves a ro- pore. The clerk will call the roll.
nues met or exceeded the year before The senior assistant legislative clerk
bust process here on the floor.
the pandemic. proceeded to call the roll.
I understand this bill has come to the
The faster-than-expected economic Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I ask
floor with a bipartisan understanding
recovery, combined with the five bipar- unanimous consent that the order for
and the Democratic leader’s assurances
tisan bills Congress passed in 2020, left the quorum call be rescinded.
that there won’t be an effort to close
a lot of cities and States in even better The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem-
debate on amendments prematurely.
shape in exiting the pandemic than pore. Without objection, it is so or-
So I look forward to the Senate’s con-
they were heading into it. Rising tax dered.
sidering these important issues, and I
revenues had put these States in a po- f
hope all of this interest in our competi-
sition not only to weather pandemic-
tion with China will lead our Demo- CONCLUSION OF MORNING
related downturns but to fill in pre-
cratic friends to rethink President BUSINESS
existing budgetary potholes that actu-
Biden’s intention to cut our defense The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem-
ally had nothing to do with COVID
spending after inflation. The single pore. Morning business is closed.
hardships.
best thing we can do to stay competi-
Of course, that didn’t stop the Demo- f
crats from cramming nearly another tive with China is to give our Armed
Forces the resources they need to stay LEGISLATIVE SESSION
$200 billion in State bailouts into the
American Rescue Plan. Impressively, competitive with China. ---
California got its hands on $26 billion f ENDLESS FRONTIER ACT-MOTION
of the $200 billion. By the way, the TO PROCEED—Resumed
EQUAL EMPLOYMENT
State of California now claims it al-
OPPORTUNITY COMMISSION The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem-
ready has a budget surplus three times
Mr. MCCONNELL. Mr. President, on pore. Under the previous order, the
that size—three times that size of a
one final matter, sometime soon, we Senate will resume consideration of
budget surplus—and we are sending
also expect to vote on a Democratic the motion to proceed to S. 1260, which
them another $26 billion.
They are having to brainstorm new resolution to overturn a rule put in the clerk will report.
ideas to spend the unneeded avalanche place by the previous administration. The senior assistant legislative clerk
of cash. I understand the State’s Gov- Under Republican leadership, the Equal read as follows:
ernor has come up with one idea he Employment Opportunity Commis- Motion to proceed to Calendar No. 58, S.
sion—an aggressive Washington regu- 1260, a bill to establish a new Directorate for
likes. He is planning to cut a timely Technology and Innovation in the National
round of State-level stimulus checks to lator of the American job market— Science Foundation, to establish a regional
include people who are in the country issued modified marching orders that technology hub program, to require a strat-
illegally—just in time for his recall increased transparency and decreased egy and report on economic security,
election later this year. Is that the the odds of expensive lawsuits. science, research, innovation, manufac-
kind of urgent priority the Democrats Several years back, one investigation turing, and job creation, to establish a crit-
had in mind when they used COVID to found the EEOC had become very ag- ical supply chain resiliency program, and for
push through what they called the gressive and was perpetrating a kind of other purposes.
‘‘most progressive’’ legislation in his- legal harassment on job creators, often The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem-
tory? leaving American taxpayers on the pore. The Republican whip.
Experts warned it was poorly tar- hook for court cases which the Com- BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS APRIL JOBS
ctelli on DSK11ZRN23PROD with SENATE
geted, and Republicans said American mission had actually lost. Taxpayers REPORT
families deserved better, but the big were paying to sue job creators and Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, Ronald
catalog of political payouts was pushed lose in court, so the Republicans up- Reagan once said that the nine most
right through. Let’s remember exactly dated their guidance. It was the first terrifying words in the English lan-
how this played out before we are substantial update of the way the guage are ‘‘I’m from the government,
doomed to repeat it again. EEOC handles disputes and concilia- and I’m here to help.’’
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